Batten: a time to unite?

[Keefe the Thief]

Well I have seen many people saying the feel sorry for WotC's loss, and as she seemed to not work for WotC, then he is the only thing the lost. WotC should have noticed something up. So just the thought of people feeling sorry for WotC's loss seems to say they feel sorry for him. I cannot.

As you state, I do not feel responsible either, as it was his choice, and other choices that lead to it all. Jobs are tough and demanding, if you can't handle it then find another one, and don't get in debt over your head to begin with.

Off topic, but I have little sympathy for Ed McMahon either needing to pay for his $6,000,000 due to inability to work. Shouldn't have bought a house that expensive if you could have afforded something less and had it paid for already.

They both made choices and have to live...or not...with them.

I still hope WotC does something or even at the cost of D&D HasBro steps in and does something to get the rest of the employees evaluated for mental stress.

This happened less that a week after Gleemax was terminated as well, so it seems something there might be connected if someone were able to line up all the dates and information so us out of the loop would get a better picture of the events. Then maybe something could be done for the survivors and others to prevent future occurrences like this.

Thats all very interesting. But the OP basically said "let´s stop flaming the out of each other and DDI for a while, because sometimes you forget that real people are put under pressure by this."

Of course, this is the internet. Cue the "lolhaha deserve it" people.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The only tenous link we have with this case is that the perpetrator was an employee of Wizards of the Coast. He probably had friends there who are now pretty shooked up. If you really want to do something, send a note to "The Staff at Wizards of the Coast" wishing them serenity and peace after the recent tragedy. It's a company made of people*, like all others.



* - "Soylent Green" reference unintentional.

That's actually something I haven't thought about that much - I was focusing my mind more on the family and friends of the victim, but of course, knowing that one of your co-workers killed someone is probably not easy, either.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I know I'm not the only one shocked and saddened by this tragedy. I feel terrible for the vehemence with which I've attacked DDI over the last few months. I don't feel guilty or ashamed, but still, some part of me can't help but think I played a part in this poor woman's death.

I am not happy that one person killed another but I am in no way putting any blame on myself or anyone else that has criticized the DDI over the last several months. If criticism of a late and shoddy product resulted in those responsible snapping and committing murder then there would be an epidemic of software designers committing murder, but there isn't.

We as a gaming community lost someone who had what appears to be a serious mental breakdown. What I hope is happening now is that WotC is providing free access to therapists for its employees to help them deal with this tragic situation.

 

[Breschau of Livonia]

This story in general shook me up pretty badly. First off because the my kids' godmother's ex-fiancee won't leave her alone, despite the engagement being broken off nearly ten years ago. Get a restraining order, he's gone for a while, it expires, he's back. He's yet to show signs of violence, more "just" stalking...

With regard to the WotC employees. It's got to be an awful feeling. A former member of two gaming groups I was in one day showed up for work and gunned down a bunch of his co-workers. There's this constant feeling of "should I have noticed something?". You feel just tainted by association. At least that's how we felt. And people keep asking you questions about him...

 

[Dykstrav]

What about some sort of charitable drive? Perhaps the money could go to a charity of the woman's family's choice?

In the news clip, they specifically mention that women's shelters are underfunded. Seems like the logical place to set up a donation for if that's what youre interested in.

I don't really feel personally responsible for this just because I'm not interested in DDI, but I can see how it might be cathartic for people to make a donation or show of support of some kind. Still, I think it'd be more constructive to take personal responsibility for our own actions (i.e., directly helping others in our immediate sphere of influence) rather than throwing money at a problem.

 

[phloog]

Horrible events. But I do think that it is completely okay for you to feel sorry for a killer. Not that you condone their actions, and not that you can't feel that they deserve capital punishment....but I think it's okay to feel sad not just for the victim, but for this person who was so obviously screwed up.

I guess if the killer was approaching it joyously I might feel differently, but this was obviously someone who was filled with rage and fear and sadness and was only capable of taking this one horrible, stupid, harmful option in a world of infinite paths.

Not justification. Not seeing his side of things. But sadness that any person could be this messed up.

As far as restraining orders go, they are like locks on your front door - they only exist to keep out those who aren't that serious.

The lock will keep out a curious punk or the laziest thief, but anyone else that wants in will get in.

Like the lock, if you have a restraining order and you believe the person is dangerous, you need to have a second level of defense - either behaviors that keep you in safe places, a weapon of some kind, etc. Even then it's not 100%, but a restraining order does very little for something like this.

 

[Umbran]

Folks, some of you may not have noticed, but we have already had one thread on this topic closed due to lack of respect for the deceased. Please be kind to those who have passed when posting here. Thank you.

 

[Mercule]

The only tenous link we have with this case is that the perpetrator was an employee of Wizards of the Coast. He probably had friends there who are now pretty shooked up. If you really want to do something, send a note to "The Staff at Wizards of the Coast" wishing them serenity and peace after the recent tragedy. It's a company made of people*, like all others.

This is kinda my thought. It seems like lots of people are looking for a tie to this tragedy. Speaking only for myself, I'm no closer to this than a Jodie Foster fan would have been to Reagan's shooting. That doesn't mean I'm without sympathy for people at WotC, Microsoft, or the families. I just feel like trying to do some collection or otherwise "get involved" is more gawking and intrusive than anything else.

I can't really put myself in their position. But as close as I can come tells me that the most respectful thing I can do is to say, "I'm terribly sorry that this has happened." And, then, walk away.

And I am saddened to hear this thing.

 

[questing gm]

I'm waiting for WoTC's statement on this incident.
Or is this going to go hush hush?

 

[CleverNickName]

Oh how terrible...they were so young. They had so much ahead of them.

My heart goes out to their friends and families, who are in a lot of pain right now. I've lost a friend to suicide, and those feelings of guilt never really go away...I'm always asking myself "why couldn't I have called her that morning?" or "why didn't I notice something?" or "why didn't I visit more often?" or "what did I do wrong?" or... Sure, I know better than to think I might have been even remotely responsible, but it is really hard to turn off the What If switch in the back of my mind.

Yes, it is easy to dismiss this as just another statistic. But please don't. They deserve more respect than that. They were real people with real friends, real parents, real jobs. Let's keep it real.